10 Frozen Treats to Try Now in Austin

A few treats to curb your sweet tooth cravings and keep you cool during the sweltering heat

By Chloe Wilt

Published: June 19, 2017

Moojo

Photo by Kiera Jane Photography

Summers in Austin are no joke; the heat is just plain brutal. Lucky for us, Austin has a wide array of frosty desserts for any icy craving you might have on the next 100-degree day. Nothing soothes the palate quite like some creamy ice cream, refreshing sno cones, or fruity popsicles. These 10 spots have just what you need, so hop in the car (don’t burn yourself with the seatbelt!) and try them out ASAP.

Ice cream and warm cookies go together just like…well… ice cream and cookies! Owners Matt Petersen and Matt Weldon decided to base their entire shop around the top-notch pairing where you can choose from 16 flavors of ice cream, 12 types of cookies, and lots of toppings to make your perfect creation.

It’s incredibly satisfying to watch the ice cream-makers at Holla Mode push the base liquid around with metal spatulas on a frozen, round, stainless steel table until it ices. Pick your flavors, toppings, and milk (can be made vegan by selecting coconut milk) and watch the magic happen.

1800 Barton Springs Road

Photo courtesy Cow Tipping Creamery/Facebook

Sure, you could get vanilla or chocolate soft serve from this South Austin shop, but why would you when there are a ton of way more interesting flavors and combinations to try out? The stackers are quite a sight to behold—the At the Ritz topped with brown sugar, hot fudge, caramel, and brown butter Ritz cracker crumbs are a favorite.

4715 S. Lamar Blvd.

Photo courtesy Steel City Pops/Facebook

With humble family roots in Alabama, Steel City Pops has grown to feature stores all across the country, and now it’s in Austin with a new storefront opening on the Drag soon. The popsicles were inspired by Mexican paletas use of real fruit and range in flavor blood orange to lemon cream.1720 Barton Springs Road

There once was a time when food trucks weren’t on every corner in Austin and were seen as unique and special. Sno Beach is one of those OGs, as they’ve been serving iced treats from their mobile unit since 1993. Although it may sound weird, almost any flavor, from wedding cake to sour apple, can be improved upon by adding caramel and cream.

412 Sterzing St.; 3402 Guadalupe St.

Photo courtesy Venezia Italian Gelato/Faceboo

Originally from Italy, the owners of this spot stick to their roots and feature homemade, traditional Italian gelato (try the Amarena cherry flavor!) and coffee. Don’t miss out on the fun donut-shaped and donut-flavored ice cream cookies on a stick that are almost too cute to eat.

For folks who are veganism or maybe have a lactose-intolerance, you’re in luck! Sweet Ritual creatively uses nuts, avocado, and coconut milk to whip up creamy creations without allergens or dairy. The toppings are also very unique and run the gamut from edible glitter to lavender simple syrup to caramelized bananas.

This traditional Taiwanese dessert, composed of ribbons of soft, fluffy ice, melts in your mouth. University of Texas engineering grads Ming Chen and John Sun opened up this shop after realizing Austin was lacking in snow ice. The dessert comes in flavors like honeydew melon, Thai tea, and matcha and can come topped with everything from tapioca boba to mochi.

If you’re looking for a healthier option that will still satisfy, try and acai bowl made of fruit, nuts, honey, and granola. Austin Acai Company has several combinations, as well as smoothies, to keep you cool and on track.